Are The Washington Capitals In Survival Mode Already?

Before the season started I thought it was crucial that the Washington Capitals got off to a good start. Five games into this new season the Caps have two wins and three losses. One of those wins came in come from behind fashion against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks are a team that seems to enjoy losing multiple goal leads early in the year. A comeback is a comeback. If one team wants to give up a multi goal lead you need the other to want to come back as well. The Canucks outplayed the Capitals for large parts of that game. If they could hold a lead this Washington team could easily be 1-4 to start the year.

The Capitals are obviously still without two big names. Nicklas Backstrom is out for only the hockey gods know how long. Tom Wilson is still out for months with a December or January return seemingly likely. Connor Brown, while not on the level of those two, is now also out long term. Evgeny Kuznetsov also missed one game due to a suspension. He will be back the next game, that being vs the Kings on Saturday.

I think all of this begs the question. The team is missing big pieces, they have not gotten off to a good start, and frankly the not great start could have been even worse. The question is, are the Capitals a team that is already in survival mode?

I think we all know what survival mode is, but just for those who may be confused we’ll explain it. Survival or just survive mode is simply play well enough to not get buried at some point of the season. Don’t get left behind early in the year if you are in this mode early, don’t get passed by too many teams and fall out of the playoffs if you have to survive late in the season.

Basically, as a fan, I think you are kind of hoping for average hockey. You are not expecting greatness, you don’t expect long winning streak, just avoid the long losing stretches.

We have already pointed out that the Capitals are without arguably three top six forwards. Brown being questionable if he is top six caliber, but he was playing almost exclusively with Alex Ovechkin and whoever was centering that line, either Kuznetsov or Dylan Strome.

Now we have to look at the schedule. The reason I thought getting off to a good start was so important for this Capitals team was because not too far into the season they face a very difficult stretch. I thought, and still think, Washington has to bank as many points as possible before this part of the schedule comes up. That part of the schedule is quickly approaching.

To start the season they played a back to back vs the Bruins and Maple Leafs. Two tough teams, but I thought the Caps needed to win one of those, they lost both. Seeing that they did lose both of those games I thought the team then needed to go on a bit of a run. They haven’t so far.

They beat Montreal, came back vs Vancouver, again, not sure if that was mostly the Capitals being great or the Canucks unable to hold leads. They then lost their most recent game vs the Senators, dominating the first 20 or so minutes before then getting dominated for the majority of the game after that.

Safe to say, after losing the first two games, a run has not happened.

They are now 2-3, and we now finally look at the schedule. Next up is the LA Kings. In their last game they get embarrassed 6-1 vs the Penguins. Normally I would say the Capitals probably need to win this game. Now I’m not so sure. You would have to assume the Kings are just a little angry. I’m guessing they will want to prove that score line was a fluke. Now an average game turns into something more. That is not as “easy” as a game as it was before Thursday night.

After the Kings you play the Devils in New Jersey. It’s the NHL, there are no easy games. You should never mark a game down as a win before you play it. The Capitals need to win that one though. After that you then go to Dallas. The Stars have started well. They are 3-0-1. Historically, the Capitals have not done too well in Dallas either. In 21 games in Dallas the Caps have just 7 wins. That game will be tough.

Nashville is next up in the music city. They started the season in Czechia winning two games against San Jose. They have since gone 0-3-1. That could be a spot to get some points.

Then the tough part of the schedule begins.

Over the next 19 days the Capitals will play 11 games. That starts with the Hurricanes on Halloween night in Carolina. They are 3-1 to start the year. The very next night they return to D.C. to play the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas has gotten off to a good start at 4-1.

After that you have two “softer” games. The first in Detroit vs the Red Wings, then you come back home and play the Coyotes.

Then what I am calling the gauntlet starts. A game every other nights, all of those games against teams who most would call contenders. The first three are at home against Edmonton, Pittsburgh and then Tampa Bay. The Caps then go on the road for three against Tampa again, Florida and then St. Louis. They then return home and face the defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

Even after that to close November you play the Flyers who are off to a surprising start at 3-1. You then play Calgary at home, the Devils the next night and finish vs the Canucks in Vancouver who will probably want to finish what they started in Washington weeks before.

Who knows where all of these teams will be, that including the Capitals. For all we know the Caps will go on a long winning streak before that gauntlet starts and come out of that incredibly difficult stretch 5-2. That is just as possibly as the complete opposite happening.

This schedule is why I thought a good start was critical. That good start hasn’t happened. Now I have to ask. Are the Capitals now entering a survival mode? As fans are you expecting a rebound sooner rather than later? Considering this team does have some important injuries and will be going into a hard schedule?

Something you also have to consider when a team is in survive mode is if they do get any more injuries how will that affect the team? What happens if Ovechkin or T.J. Oshie or John Carlson take bad hit or shot? What about Strome or Anthony Mantha, both of whom has gotten off to pretty good starts.

Survival mode is a pretty nervy mode to be in. Looking at the injuries this team already has and seeing the schedule that is coming up I think you would have to say this team is in survival mode. When you’re in this state you need a lot to go right. Will it? Only time will tell.

At the end of the day we could be looking back at this time and this coming stretch and say this is where the Capitals made the playoffs or missed them altogether. If they do hold on and survive, they will then get healthier, that will mean the results were okay and the team is in a good spot.

If they struggle like they have been they might get too far back and it is really hard to make up ground on great teams when they get a lead on you.